The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-12

! from comfortable, but from the first word to th<.
| end, and through the last prayer the six or
/ seven thousand people who filed every nook
| and corner Of the great building sat spell
bound" Il borrow the word from our political
| correspondence, for use this one time cnly) A
| concluding hymn and the benediction Mr.. Spur
| geon turned and hobblngly walked up the aisle
| and out of the rear door by which he had
| entered, bowling to this and that parishiorer on
| his way. Until he had vanished tho audience
kept their seats. but after that rapidly melted
away. And SO it is at every service when Mr..
Spurgeon breaches. Great crowds attend and
hang upon his plain words What is it, sWhat
come they out for to seea' The question kept
peating itself again and again He said in his
sermon that it had been prophesied of him by
the man under whom he had been brought to
Christ that he should preach the gospel to more
people than anyone before him had done. ard
now that prediction had been verified but
what Of the futurea Who will fill Mr.. Spur-
geons placel What will become of the Taber-
nacle when Mr.. Spurgeon is eonei To what
uses will it be puts These and other problems
must press heavily upon Mr.. Spurgeon and those
directly associated with him in his immense
work. The StockweL Orphanage the Preach-
er's College, and several other things seem
now to be resting almost entirely upon the one
mans shoulders. His influence and power are
wonderful. He speaks and money flows in for
whatever he wants it for. If a collapse should
follow his cessation from work. it would be q
disastrous one; and that Mr.. Spurgeon's best.
working days over is patent to every body
and to himself.
In the evening of the same day 1 went to the
City Temple to hear DR.. Joseph Parker the sec
ond greatest preacher OF London. They ara
al <hr
evening services at o'clock. that there can
be little family life on Sundays in the home.
The custom obtains to some extent in the East
with Us, but in Indiana and the States generally
Sunday is made day of continuous church,
going, from morning until late at night, SO that
there is scarcely an hour when the whole family
can be together at home. Sometime the En-
glish fashion will become the fashion with u.s. to
the great advantage of both the church and the
home. The Temple is situated on Holborn
street. on the north side of the Thames. 1t is
the second largest non-conforming chapel and
congregation in England. The building is fine
one both exteriorly and interiorly. 1t is much
more deliberately finished than the Tabernacle,
and is fitted with organ, choir and a box
pulpit. in which Mr. Parker sitting in a
Geneva gown. grand, gloomy aud peculiar" The
Temple has but gallery, and the auditorium
face OF the gallery opposite were the nxnes
Of John Wesley" John Bunyan" and ANNE
Askew," and suppose on the face of the gallery
in which l sat were three other names OF
equally distinguished nonconformists, or
religious s.reformers.' This indicates the
spirit that pervades this cathedral Of
Congregatonalism in England. As the
building, SO the services here were more elabor-
ate than in the Tabernacle, while there could
not be greater contrast in any two men than
between Sturgeon and Parker. AS said Par
ker sat in his pulpit. grand, gloomy and Pc
culiar. He looked neither up nor to the sides,
but steadily downward, his bald head, heavily
haired all around. shining in the dim. religious
light like that of some monk who had
come down from tho iron age of the mother
church. He has shaggy eyebrows and smooth,
heavy face. 1t reminded me at times and in
certain moods somewhat Of Judge Julian's and
then of half a dozen others; but finally it re-
solved itself into the face of one of Landseer's
lions at the base of the Nelson column. That
was the only comparison ti1ks seemed at all
fitting satisfactory. Dr. Parker is the
most dramatic preacher ever heard. He has
all the tricks and manners Of the stage in its old
estate. His voice sinks to a whisper when it is
impossible to hear him; at least il was for me,
and my seat was not far from the pulpit. Anon
it rises to declamarory force, and his words leap
from his lips with fervid fire. He uses his eyes
in fine frenzy, and he rolls not only his eyes but
his RS" He now and then folds his gown
about him, after the manner of young Thespis
in the "Conscript Father" act, and if his pulpit
would allow him think he would stride to and
fro with the awful tread assumed by Damon
whom he hurls Lucullus from him. Yet all the
time he is uttering good things, and do not
wonder at his popularity and influence He
based his remarks on the story of Jesus healing
the man born blind In speaking of those who
willfully blind themselves, but upon whom
Christian influence continues to shine he spoke
Of ''souls upon WHICH. not upon WHOM will
aot put grammar to base uses" In an allusion
20 the woman at Sychar who ran to tell the
people of the prophet she had found, he said:
No man runs over a mountain to tell beati-
ude." Celebrating his thought upon the con-
.roversy which Christs miracle caused, he said
hat was the mission of Christ; always men had
been and were divided into those who based
heir action on a divine philosophy and those
Who based il on human expediency. This
80 in all departments of life. even in the poiiti-
;al lone was a statesman, trying to solve oues-
ions a philosophical basis, and the other was
merely a ratcatcher." At the time the Crimes
Bill was under discussion. DIR. Parker left no
me in doubt as TO his liberalism both in politics
md theology. He announced his proposed va
;ation trip to America. which was of special in
crest, inasmuch as it was to be made TO deliver
eulogy on Beecher, who had so lately preached
IN the Temple, and whose successor at Plymouth
there has been some talk of DIR. Parker becom-
ing. I could but think that the doctor is too old
3 plant to repot. His habits fixed, and he
would not be likely to adjust himself to new and
lifferent surroundings. greatly doubt whether
10 would be popular or influential in America
o the extent he is here, although on the Ply
mouth platform he could indulge to his hearts
ontent in the free lance thrusts in which he so
Violently delights.
From living preachers to dead ones is not so